Dialogue on Inequality, Poverty and Trade in Africa and the LDCs

At the dawn of the new millennium, developing countries achieved rapid economic growth, supporting progress on economic and social development at the national level and a reduction in income gap between developed and developing countries. However, in many African countries and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the commodities-driven growth was not accompanied by commensurate poverty reduction, while domestic income inequality remains high.

Against this backdrop, UN Trade & Development and the Geneva Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) organized a dialogue on inequality, poverty and trade in Africa and the LDCs with a view to identifying actionable policy measures to tackle inequality and poverty at the national level. The event was attended by government officials, delegates of permanent missions based in Geneva, representatives of international organizations, and development experts.